For millions of Californians, the COVID-19 pandemic will provide a most unwelcome gift this Christmas: a wide-ranging shutdown imposed as the state grapples with its most massive and dangerous surge in infections and hospitalizations to date.

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday said he would nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead HHS in his administration. The move was somewhat of a surprise, as his name had not previously been circulated as among those in contention.

Xavier Becerra, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, is set to be a pandemic-era secretary with no public health experience. Whether that matters depends on whom you ask.

As we move into 2021, one thing is for certain: Companies will continue to embrace remote-working policies. Because of this, Insurtech (use of technology to increase efficiency in the insurance industry) will continue to influence how the health insurance industry operates.

From the apple-growing foothills of Oak Glen to the Pacific Ocean, owners of restaurants, wineries, resorts, hair salons and other enterprises said they would defy the coronavirus shutdown taking effect a minute before midnight on Sunday, Dec. 6.

The Food and Drug Administration’s first analysis of the clinical trial data also found that the coronavirus vaccine worked well regardless of a volunteer’s race, weight or age.